The recent deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, has intensified speculation about Washington’s true objectives in the Southern Caribbean. In this episode of the Americas Quarterly Podcast, we examine what’s really behind the Trump administration’s escalating military activity. Is it a hardline campaign against drug cartels, or the opening moves of a broader effort to pressure Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro? What do we know about dynamics within the Venezuelan military? And to what extent could this impact Washington’s relations with Colombia and other countries in the region? Our guest is Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program and head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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Guest:
Ryan Berg is director of the Americas Program and head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Host:
Brian Winter is editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly
If you would like to know more:
Beijing’s Military Diplomacy Is Making Major Gains by Ryan Berg, Christopher Hernandez-Roy, Henry Ziemer and Jessie Hu
U.S. Strikes in the Caribbean Set to Challenge Maduro and Trump by Jesús D. Romero and Rafael Marrero
Putin and Maduro’s ‘Perfect Harmony’ Tests Trump’s Watch by Omar Lugo
The Future of Venezuela’s Diaspora by Mariana Rodríguez
